In the years since Wilson Tang revitalized his family's venerable Doyers Street canteen, the restaurant has become a destination for quality dim sum served well into the evening. On its way to a century in business, Nom Wah may not best its brethren in architectural grandeur, but Chinatown's oldest restaurant delivers plenty of prestige on the plate. Devotees of the dining style might scoff at the idea of sampler platters, but the steamed and fried versions here offer comprehensive introductions to the kitchen's talents. Each platter features eight pieces of dim sum; the steamed sampler makes a satisfying meal for one, while the fried plate is best shared to avoid palate fatigue and actual fatigue. Among the best steamed items are slightly spongy, tightly-wrapped pork and shrimp shumai and puckered shrimp and snow pea leaf dumplings, the shape of which reminds us of baby birds craning their beaks to the sky for, in this case, a helping of sweet and tart vinegar. Once the fryer comes into play, it's easy to get lost in shatter crisp helpings of bean curd skin stuffed with shrimp and a beefed up egg roll sporting an almost beer batter-like textured crust. Giving the fried sampler a slight edge over its healthier competition is a crunchy, chewy sesame ball filled with nutty, sweet lotus paste. "All fried everything", might just be our new motto.

Later this year, we'll pen our Best of New York issue, our annual love letter to what's great in this town. When that paper hits the streets, you'll find our picks for the very best this city has to offer when it comes to dozens of cuisines, restaurants, dishes, and drinks. Until then, you can get a taste of our contenders as we count down, in no particular order, our 100 favorite dishes from around the boroughs, a list of laudable eats worth tracking down right now.

Bronx-born Zachary Feldman is the Village Voice’s restaurant critic. He enjoys wearing a bib even when it’s not required. And no, that’s not some Freudian thing. Follow him on Instagram, too. He's at @zachats.